It’s been almost a decade since “trust the process” became a thing in Philadelphia. Former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie once coined the term as a euphemism for his squad, which actively tanked for better draft picks.
And that strategy worked! Over four seasons from 2013 to 2017, the 76ers won a total of 75 games. Their reward was three picks in the top three of the NBA Draft, including two at No. 1 overall — Joel Embiid (No. 3, 2014), Ben Simmons (No. 1, 2016), and Markelle Fultz (No. 1, 2017).
The thing is that The Process hasn’t turned into much of any noteworthy success on the court. Simmons and Fultz are no longer 76ers, while the Embiid-led squad has yet to qualify for the Eastern Conference Finals.
It’s a funny twist of fate that HBO’s Hacks saw fit to make light of:
the silver lining of the Sixers getting eliminated from the playoffs again is that i have more time to watch the shows i enjoy, like Hacks, which is a really g-… OH COME ON pic.twitter.com/cMUGeNU9P7
— Brian Grubb (@briancgrubb) May 19, 2022
Oof, brutal. I see no one trusts The Process anymore.
For more context — if you’re unfamiliar with the show — this is a pep talk that Ava (a young writer) tries to give Deborah (an established comedienne). Ava admits she has zero familiarity with sports and doesn’t even know where “trust the process” came from. But she relays the message anyway.
It’s almost poetic that both learn from the barkeep that The Process mindset led to nothing worth writing home about for the 76ers.
